The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a well-known postgraduate engineering admission examination in India, serving as the first step for individuals seeking admission to Masters in Engineering (M.E.) and Masters in Technology (M.Tech) programmes at various engineering institutes across the country.
While its primary recognition lies in esteemed institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs), and private universities in India, Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) has transcended borders, evolving into an internationally acknowledged test for entry into postgraduate engineering programs for studies abroad.
Few renowned engineering institutions in South Asia and Europe are known for using GATE scores to determine admission to postgraduate engineering programmes. At the same time, universities around the world have their own selection criteria, where they may accept GMAT scores in place of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores for Indian candidates. The following is a list of foreign universities that accept GATE scores for admission.
Generally, these institutions necessitate a degree certificate and an official transcript of academic records from each university the applicant has previously attended. It is the responsibility of the applicants to request the transcript(s) from the relevant universities.
Certain institutions may impose specific criteria, such as requiring applicants to possess a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 2nd division honors or Honours, along with the capability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study. It’s important to note that these criteria are subject to change for each academic cycle.
GATE 2024 Exam pattern
The GATE 2024 examination structure comprises a total of 100 marks, encompassing 65 questions to be answered within a 3-hour duration. The question types include Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. Among the 65 questions, there are 45 MCQs, distributed as 15 questions carrying 1 mark each and 30 questions carrying 2 marks each. Additionally, there are 10 MSQs, each carrying 2 marks, and 10 NAT questions, each carrying 1 mark.
Regarding the marking scheme, for MCQs, a deduction of 1/3 mark is applied for each wrong answer in 1-mark questions and 2/3 mark for each incorrect response in 2-mark questions. However, there is no negative marking for MSQs and NATs, and no partial marking for MSQs.
The examination is divided into sections, with the General Aptitude (GA) section comprising 10 questions, accounting for 15% of the total marks. This section includes Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, and Reasoning Ability. Engineering Mathematics (EM) holds 13 marks, covering subjects such as Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, and Probability and Statistics, except for papers GG, XE, and XL.
The majority of the marks, 72% of the total, are allocated to subject-specific questions, varying according to the specific paper. The GATE exam pattern remains consistent across all papers, except for the GE and GG papers. The GE paper consists of two parts: Part A is mandatory for all, while Part B offers a choice between Surveying and Mapping (B1) or Image Processing and Analysis (B2). Similarly, the GG paper also features two parts: Part A is compulsory for all, and Part B presents a choice between Geology (B1) or Geophysics (B2).